Box



RALPH J. BYERS R. J. BYERS July 25, 1939.

Fild Dec. 20, 1937 Patented July 25, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOX Ralph J. Byers, Chicago, 111., assignor to Chicago Mill and Lumber Company, Chicago, 111., a

corporation of Delaware Application December 20, 1937, Serial No. 180,704

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to plywood boxes or crates, and more particularly to a box having the walls thereof constructed of lightweight plywood sheets or panels the margins of which are reinforced by means of wooden frames while the main body sections of the walls are reinforced by means of metal strips or bands engaged across the outer surfaces of the plywood panels and hav ing the end portions thereof projecting through grooves in the reinforcing frame members and bent over around the edges of the plywood panels and secured to the inner sides thereof.

It is an object of this invention to provide a plywood box, the walls of which are constructed of plywood panels reinforced by marginal cleats, while the plywood panels are furthermore reinforcedby means of metal strips or bands.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a plywood box having plywood panels reinforced by metal strips, the ends of which are bent around the edges of the panels permitting the toothed ends of the metal strips to be driven into the plywood to hold the reinforcing strips in position. 1

It is a further object of this invention to provide a plywood box wherein the plywood walls are reinforced by continuous metal strips or bands, the ends of which are adapted to be inserted through the marginal portion of the top of the box and secured to one another by metal seals or the like.

It is an important object of this invention to provide an improved type of box having the walls thereof constructed of plywood or other suitable lightweight material, which is reinforced by means of metal strips or bands to brace the plywood panels against bulging outwardly due to internal forces within the box.

Other and further important objects of this invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the specification and the accompanying draw- The invention (in preferred forms) is illustrated in the drawing and hereinafter more fully described.

On the drawing:

Figure 1 is an isometric view of an improved plywood box embodying the principles of this invention.

Figure 2 is a transverse detail section through the middle portion of the box and through the metal reinforcing strips thereof.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary detail section taken on line III-III of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a transverse detailed section through a modified form of plywood box provided with a continuous type of metal reinforcing band.

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary detail section through one of the corners of the modified form of plywood box illustrated in Figure 4. 5

As shown on the drawing:

The box comprises a top panel I, a bottom panel 2, side panels 3 and end panels 4, each of which is constructed out of plywood. Each of the walls forming the box are independent units and have the plywood panels thereof provided with marginal reinforcing bands and wooden reinforcing frames constructed of rails or cleats 5 which are nailed or otherwise rigidly secured to the marginal portions of the plywood panels by nails, staples or other suitable means.

The plywood panel of each of the top, bottom and side walls of the box is reinforced by means of a metal strip or tape 6 disposed across the exterior surface of the plywood panel and having the ends thereof bent over to provide a bight portion 1 and an inner end piece 8, the end margin of which is notched to form pointed teeth 9 which are bent over at substantial right angles to the end piece 8 and are driven into the inner 5 surface of the plywood panel as clearly shown in Figure 3. To permit the end portions of the metal reinforcing strips to be bent around the marginaledges of the plywood panels, two of the opposite frame cleats 5 are provided with transverse slots or grooves l0 permitting the end portions of the metal strips to be inserted between the plywood panel and the inner faces of the two opposite frame cleats 5.

In case it is desired to ship the metal reinforc- 5 ing strips separately from the box walls, the end portions 8 of the strips may be provided with openings for the reception of retaining nails or the like, in which case the tooth members 9 may be omitted. I

The boxes are of the knockdown type with each of the walls constructed of plywood having a marginal reinforcing frame secured thereto and. with the plywood panels reinforced by transverse or, if desired, longitudinally disposed reinforcing metal strips, which may be secured in place before shipment or which may be shipped separately and be engaged in position when the boxis assembled, and before the box walls are nailed to one another to form the completed box.

In the showing of the box illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 inclusive the end wall plywood panels 4 are not provided with the metal reinforcing strips due to the comparatively small area of the plywood panels. In case the end walls are large, the

tions thereof to reinforce the panel. Two op- 1 posite cleats I2 of each of the Walls are provided with transverse grooves or slots I3. As clearly illustrated in Figure 4, the plywood panels of the top and bottom walls have the plywood cut away to provide openings or notches I4. In the modified form of box, a continuous metal strap or band I is provided which engages across the outer face of the bottom panel and then extends upwardly across the outer faces of the side panels with the end portions of the metal strip then projecting through the notches I l and through the slots I3 of the top wall permitting the end portions of the metal strap to overlap one another and be rigidly secured together by a metal seal I6 or the like. The modified box is also provided with end walls which comprise a plywood end panel I! having a reinforcing frame secured to the marginal portion of the outer face thereof and constructed from cleats or bars I2 which are nailed or riveted to the end plywood panel H.

In the modified form of box illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, the completed top, bottom, side walls and end walls are intended to be shipped in compact superimposed relation with respect to one another to the user who may readily assemble the box by nailing the respective walls together leaving the top wall free. The continuous retaining metal strap II is then engaged through the slots I3 and I4 of the side and bottom walls and the end portions of the metal strap are then engaged through the notches I4 of the top Wall and through the slots I3 of said top wall thereby permitting the ends of the strap to be engaged in overlapped relation with respect to one another on top of the top wall to permit the overlapping ends of the metal strap to be rigidly secured together by means of the metal seal I6 or any other suitable type of clamp after the strap has been tightly pulled into position to secure the top wall upon the body portion of the box. The top wall may also be nailed in position to complete the box.

It will of course be understood that various details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention and it is, therefore, not

the purpose to limit the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A box comprising a plurality of plywood walls, reinforcing frames secured to the margins of the plywood walls, metal reinforcing straps extending across the plywood walls and projecting beneath the reinforcing frames and having the ends thereof bent around the edges of the plywood walls and secured to the inner faces thereof.

2. A knockdown box comprising a plurality of wall units each of which comprises a plywood panel, a wooden reinforcing frame rigidly secured to the marginal edges of one side of the plywood panel, a metal reinforcing strip extending across the plywood panel and beneath the reinforcing frame with the end portions of the reinforcing strip bent around the edges of the plywood panel, and gripping teeth formed on the ends of the reinforcing strip and driven into the inner face of the plywood panel to secure the metal reinforcing strip in place.

RALPH J. BYERS. 

